The invention relates to submersible hydrants for soil irrigation systems, and more particularly to submersible hydrants adapted to receive a movable cap member which cooperates with the hydrant housing for selectively blocking, during submergence of the hydrant, an aperture disposed in the side wall of the hydrant housing for distributing the irrigation fluid.
In known arrangements of this type, the hydrant housing is connectable at its lower end with a source of irrigation fluid, and the hydrant is movable between a lower position in which the liquid-distributing aperture is below ground level and an upper position in which the distributing aperture is above ground level. During periods when the hydrant is to be submerged, a removable protective cap is inserted into the upper portion of the hydrant housing, with the external periphery of the cap serving to close the distributing aperture to prevent dirt from entering the interior of the hydrant and thereby contaminating the irrigation fluid source.
During periods when the hydrant is raised into its operative position above ground, it is customary to remove the blocking cap member, and to position a conventional fluid-distributing conduit (either flexible or rigid) over the distributing aperture. Since in the course of a growing season, and at other times, it is necessary to raise and submerge each hydrant in the system a plurality of times, an inordinate expenditure of time and labor is generally involved in the repeated connecting and disconnecting of the protective cap and the distributing conduits from the hydrant.